Cards may be in DL’s near future
Derrick Brown’s NFL dreams took root long before he become a first team All-American at Auburn.
“My sophomore year when I got my first offer,” Brown said.
East Carolina.
Brown remembers running upstairs on a Thursday afternoon telling his mom the Pirates offered him a scholarship, a moment that made him start to believe he could one day play in the NFL.
“I felt like that this is an opportunity that’s coming now,” he continued. “My chance is about to happen. From that moment on, that’s what I felt like. The dream is here. That is something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”
That day will come next month and may lead to him making a cross country trip to begin his pro career.
The Arizona Cardinals could easily draft an offensive tackle or wide receiver with the eighth overall pick, but they also need to address a defense that ranked next to last in defensive efficiency last season.
Brown is a projected Top 10 pick, considered the draft’s best defensive lineman and someone who could give the Cardinals a game changer up front to go along sack machine Chandler Jones on the edge.
“Defensive tackle with rare combination of size and disruptive traits who frequently bludgeoned inferior competition across from him,” wrote NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein on Brown’s draft profile.
“Brown’s snap quickness allows him to take muddy running lanes by re-setting the line of scrimmage. He has the ability to power into gaps, but he really shines when he drops his anchor to stall double-teams or punch, press and prey on runners as a two-gapper.”
The massive 6-5, 326-pound Brown has still been working out despite having to stay at home in Atlanta with the coronavirus pandemic putting the nation on lockdown.
“The county I live in is quarantined so we’re on like a stay-at-home ordinance,” Brown said.
He’s disappointed there won’t be a draft as Brown was looking forward to having his family with him in Las Vegas to celebrate when his name was called to go on stage, put on that team hat and shake hands with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
At the same time, Brown also sees this as blessing in disguise as he’s spending more time with his family. Next month, he’ll celebrate a once-in-alifetime moment with them while likely holding the one who motivates him – his son, Kai Asher Brown
“My parents put me in a situation where I never wanted or needed for anything so I want that to be the case for my son,” said Brown about Kai Asher, who will turn two years old in December. “I go to work every single day and my son fuels that passion.”
Every NFL team has contacted Brown going into the draft – and for good reason.
Winner of the 2019 Lott IMPACT Trophy, which goes to the defensive player who has the biggest IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity), Brown posted 55 tackles, 12 1⁄2 stops for loss, four sacks and four pass breakups and two forced fumbles his senior year last season.
From pushing an LSU offensive lineman back into Heisman Trophy winner and projected top overall pick, Joe Burrow, for a sack to taking the ball out of Florida quarterback Kyle Trask’s hand and kept rumbling, Brown lived up to the award name.
“You’ve got to be able to impose your will on folks,” said about Brown, a firstteam All-SEC selection and finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Outland Trophy.
As dominant as Brown was his senior year, he enters the draft viewed as primarily a run stopper who isn’t the same force of nature on passing downs.
Brown doesn’t see himself as just a “two-down” player.
“I always here he’s a run stuffer, but in order for you to be able to get to the passer, you’ve got to be able to stop the run,” Brown said. “I bring that to the table, but I feel like I’m efficient at being able to push the pocket and be able to put pressure on the quarterback. I may not have a bunch of sacks, but if you watch me play, you know quarterback is not sitting back there having all day (to throw), either:”
Auburn ran a base 4-3 defense, but the Cardinals switched from that set to a 3-4 last season under first-year defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Sounds like a reason to pass on Brown if he’s available at eight, but Auburn also ran a three-man front and the Cardinals utilized multiple front as well.
“I feel like I can play any position across the board because I’ve had to play every position across the board,” Brown said.
Brown said he’s watched the Cards on film and can see himself fitting in their defense.
“I look at everything,” Brown said. “I don’t have a problem playing whatever position I need to play. I feel like I can fit in anywhere.”
After completing his senior season, Brown didn’t put up prolific combine numbers.
He only had a 27-inch vertical jump and posted the fourth-worst three-cone drill time (8.22 seconds) for defensive tackles in combine history.
His combine performance led to further dissection of his play. Zierlein’s scouting report says Brown “needs to keep working on syncing hands and feet” in rushing the passer.
“I don’t think I had the best numbers, but people who went through the process would understand,” said Brown, who also participated in Auburn’s Pro Day.
“I don’t have any worries about it. When you hear from the coach’s mouth and those who make the decisions about it, it’s a little bit different. I got positive feedback and just went forward with it.”
What isn’t in question is Brown’s character. He’s well respected by his coaches and teammates for not only his play on the field, but how he carries himself off it.
“People are so accustomed to judging people for what they do off the field,” Brown said. “I believe if you’re doing right off the field, you’re going to do right on the field.”
Last year, Arizona passed on Alabama All-American defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and chose Kyler Murray with the first overall pick. Turned out to be the right choice as Murray earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after completing 64.4% of his passes for 3,722 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner also rushed for 544 yards and four scores to become only the second rookie and sixth player overall to throw for at least 3,500 yards and run for 500 more in a season.
So the Cardinals may use their first pick to give Murray another offensive weapon by taking his college teammate, Oklahoma All-American CeeDee Lamb, to further strengthen a receiver unit that just acquired DeAndre Hopkins in a trade and still has Christian Kirk and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald.
Arizona might also select an offensive tackle to strength a line that allowed 50 sacks last season. Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, like Brown, is a projected Top 10.
Then again, the Cardinals may address their defense by selecting a game changer up front who started having NFL dreams years ago after receiving his first scholarship offer his sophomore year on a Thursday afternoon in Georgia.